Quick Answer
Pour over gives you the most control of any method. A medium-fine grind, a slow circular pour, and a 1:16 ratio produce a clean, bright cup.
You'll Need
- Pour-over dripper (V60, Chemex, etc.)
- Paper filter
- Coffee
- Water
- Grinder
- Scale
- Timer
- Gooseneck kettle (helpful, not required)
Grind
Medium-fine — like table salt.
Ratio
Starting point: 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio. For example: 20g coffee → 320g water.
Water
Just off the boil, around 195–205°F.
Brew
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water, then discard the rinse water
- Add ground coffee and level the bed
- Bloom: pour about 2x the coffee weight in water, wait 30–45 seconds
- Pour the remaining water slowly in small circles
- Total brew time should land around 2.5–3.5 minutes
- Remove the dripper once the water fully drains
Troubleshooting
- Too bitter? → Pour slower, or grind coarser
- Too sour? → Grind finer, or pour a little faster
- Too weak? → Increase your coffee dose
Connoisseur Tip
The bloom step matters more than people think — it releases trapped CO2 so the rest of your water extracts evenly instead of channeling around the bed.